Top 10 SEO tips you should know for 2022

The most challenging part about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is dealing with fluidity. Numerous updates change the algorithm regularly, and it's hard to keep track of all of them.
Even if you can’t follow everything, staying updated is still essential. So, here are 10 SEO tips that you should know for 2022.

Understanding core web vitals
Core web vitals are essential to Google's Page Experience Update. They are a set of metrics used to measure a website's speed, responsiveness, and visual stability.

Google uses specialised tools to measure each metric. Each of these tools reports to the search engine data about the condition of your core web vital metrics.

It would be best to explore the platforms to know which aspects of your website to improve.

Optimising for Google Passage Ranking
Passage ranking means individual entries on your websites will be ranked together with web pages. Passage rankings mean that Google can highlight a certain section of a webpage even if its entirety covers an unrelated topic to the Search Engine Results Page.

Make the necessary adjustments to conform to the Google passage rankings. It will also create more chances for content to rank higher in the search engine results.

As for passage ranking, all of the usual SEO practices apply, like keyword research, metadata optimization etc. Passage ranking focuses more on long form content, therefore it is important to use long-tail keywords, headers, and of course, content that’s unique and relevant to your audience.

Aim for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets stand at rank zero of the search rankings. It appears above rank one and is highlighted by a rectangular box.

You can't choose which part of the content will appear in the featured snippet. However, focus on optimising content to have a higher chance of your website appearing there.

Feed the EAT Principle
EAT is an acronym for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Mastery of the EAT principle guarantees success in the long run for SEO.

The EAT metric measures brand reputation. Google uses these three criteria in determining website rankings.

The EAT principle is the best way to begin when building your website. Although there is a lot of information on the internet, everything will come down to these three metrics.

Explore various long-tail keyword phrases
Shorter-tail keywords have more competition now because of the complexities of the Google algorithm.

Due to this problem, using long-tail keywords is a must. Because these keywords are more specific, there will be a high chance of getting a high ranking because there is less competition.

Keep creating new content
Your website will easily fall behind in the rankings if you're not creating new content.
Fresh content is considered more valuable than old content. Therefore, people nowadays look at the dates of articles to determine whether the information is still relevant.

The Google algorithm will work in your favor as you post new content. 

Re-using old content
Remember to keep old content relevant. Don't miss out on the traffic these contents can still generate for your website.

One solution is link auditing, which sorts out broken links from the good ones. This technique will improve the user experience and prevent you from being penalised by Google.
Updating your internal links is also helpful to direct traffic to old content. It helps Google detect a connection between these pages while pushing a better rank for relevant searches.

Focusing on user experience
Every SEO technique is directed towards user experience, even the new update on core web vitals.

User experience is important as it determines how satisfied a user is with your site.
Some basic factors that will help you boost the user experience are:

• Mobile-friendliness
• Page speed
• Interactivity
• Navigation
• Quality of content

Images are important, too
Use high-quality images that relate to the content. Users should know what your content is about when they see the image on your websiteAlso, pay attention to image alt tags. Search engines use these tags to associate a keyword with your image. But, don't stuff keywords in the image tag as Google might detect it as spam.

Reinforce your backlinks
Backlinks help build brand authority. You must have a proper backlinking strategy. Otherwise, it won't work as efficiently.

Here are some tips on backlinking:

• Link to authoritative domains
• Use guest blogging
• Share content in online forums
• Use social media to share content and backlinks to the site

SEO trends come and go. As the competition grows, so should your strategy. Don't get left behind. Stay updated on SEO trends to achieve your business goals. If you’re confused or don’t have time to focus on this, give Perfect Layout Digital Marketing a call on 01708 578 015 to support you.